The Black Company: Chronicles of The Black Company, Book 1

Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead - until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more. There must be a way for the Black Company to find her....

Gardens of the Moon: Malazan Book of The Fallen 1 - Volume 1

Bled dry by interminable warfare, infighting and bloody confrontations with Lord Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii, the vast, sprawling Malazan empire simmers with discontent. Even its imperial legions yearn for some respite. For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his Bridgeburners and for Tattersail, sole surviving sorceress of the Second Legion, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the dead.

Best Served Cold

Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. While armies march, heads roll and cities burn, behind the scenes bankers, priests and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.

Assassin's Apprentice: The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chilvary Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways.

Dawn of Wonder: The Wakening, Book 1

When a high-ranking officer gallops into the quiet Mistyvales, he brings a warning that shakes the countryfolk to their roots. But for Aedan, a scruffy young adventurer with veins full of fire and a head full of ideas, this officer is not what he seems. The events that follow propel Aedan on a journey that only the foolhardy or desperate would risk, leading him to the gates of the nation's royal academy - a whole world of secrets in itself. But this is only the beginning of his discoveries.

The Waking Fire: Book One of Draconis Memoria

The new star of British fantasy returns with The Waking Fire, book one of the Draconis Memoria series, a thrilling new epic fantasy of exploration and adventure, spies and assassins, explosive magic and the battle for empire. For decades the lands of the Ironship Syndicate have been defended by the 'blood blessed' - men and women able to channel the powers contained in the potent blood of wild drakes. Elite spies and assassins, their loyalty has established the Syndicate's position as the greatest power in the known world. Yet now a crisis looms.

Royal Assassin: The Farseer Trilogy, Book 2

Fitz dreams of Red-Ship Raiders sacking a coastal village, leaving not a single man, woman, or child alive. Tortured by this terrible vision, he returns to the Six Duchies court where all is far from well. King Shrewd has been struck down by a mysterious illness and King-in-waiting, Verity, spends all his time attempting to conjure storms to confuse and destroy the Red-Ship Raiders. And when he leaves on an insane mission to seek out the mystical Elderings, Fitz is left alone and friendless but for the wolf Nighteyes.

Pawn of Prophecy: Belgariad, Book 1

Long ago, so the Storyteller claimed, the evil god Torak sought dominion and drove men and Gods to war. But Belgrath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe. That was only a story, and Garion did not believe in magic dooms, even though the man without a shadow had haunted him for years.

The Long Earth

The Western Front, 1916. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where have the mud, blood, and blasted landscape of No Man's Land gone? Madison, Wisconsin, 2015. Cop Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive - some said mad, others dangerous - scientist when she finds a curious gadget: a box containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a potato. It is the prototype of a life-changing invention....

Prince of Fools: Red Queen's War, Book 1

The Red Queen is old but the kings of the Broken Empire fear her as they fear no other. Her grandson Jalan Kendeth is a coward, a cheat, and a womaniser; and 10th in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures. Until he gets entangled with Snorri ver Snagason, a huge Norse axe man, and dragged against his will to the icy north.

Elantris

Elantris was built on magic, and it thrived. But then the magic began to fade, and Elantris began to rot. Now its shattered citizens face domination by a powerful Imperium. Can a young Princess unite the people of Elantris and lead a rebellion against the imperial zealots? Brandon Sanderson's debut fantasy showed his skill as a storyteller and an imaginer of baroque magical systems to be fully developed from the start.

Ringworld

Welcome to Ringworld, an intermediate step between Dyson Spheres and planets. The gravitational force created by a rotation on its axis of 770 miles per second means no need for a roof. Walls 1,000 miles high at each rim will let in the sun and prevent much air from escaping. Larry Niven's novel Ringworld is the winner of the 1970 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

The Silmarillion

The complete unabridged audiobook of J.R.R Tolkien's The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is an account of the Elder Days, of the First Age of Tolkien's world. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.

The Dragonbone Chair: Memory, Sorrow & Thorn, Book 1

The beloved first novel in Tad Williams' classic fantasy series Memory, Sorrow and Thorn, first published in 1988 and now available as an unabridged audiobook for the first time. Kitchen-boy Simon is bored, restless and 14 years old - a dangerous combination. It seems, however, that his life has just taken a turn for the better when he's apprenticed to his castle's resident wizard.

The Emperor's Blades: Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne, Book 1

In The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley, the emperor of Annur is dead, slain by enemies unknown. His daughter and two sons, scattered across the world, do what they must to stay alive and unmask the assassins. But each of them also has a life-path on which their father set them, destinies entangled with both ancient enemies and inscrutable gods.

Queen of Sorcery: Belgariad, Book 2

Legends tell of the evil god Torak coveting the power of the Orb of Aldur. Prophecy also speaks of a time when he will again awaken to seek dominance over all the world. Now the Orb has been stolen by a priest of Torak, and that time is at hand. Belgarath the Sorcerer and his daughter, Polgara the arch-Sorceress, are on the trail of the Orb, seeking to regain it before the final disaster. With them goes Garion, a simple farm boy only months before, but now the focus of the struggle.

Magician's Gambit: The Belgariad, Book 3

Ce'Nedra, Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, is confused. Everyone knows the tales of the Orb protecting the West from the evil god Torak are just silly legends. But here she is, forced to join a quest to recover that stolen Orb. No one believes in sorcery, but Garion's aunt and grandfather seem to be the fabled sorcerers Polgara and Belgarath. Even young Garion is learning to do sorcery. He's just a farm boy, totally unsuitable for an Imperial Princess. Yet for some reason, she has the urge to comfort him.

Castle of Wizardry: Belgariad, Book 4

It all began with the theft of the Orb that protected the West from the evil God Torak. Before that, Garion had been a simple farm boy. Afterward, he discovered he's a sorcerer. Now, at last, the Orb has been regained and the quest nears its end. Of course, the questors must still escape from a crumbling enemy fortress, flee across a desert filled with Murgo soldiers, and avoid the Grolim Hierarchs seeking to destroy them with dark magic.

Publisher's Summary

....embedded in the trunk of the scion of the godtree, it contains the essence of the maddest of the Ten Who Were Taken...The Dominator.

Defeated by the Lady and cast from this world, all that was left of him was a foul trace of lingering evil. But the graveyard that was once the Barrowland contains more secrets than dead. All who would possess the power of the Dominator are drawn to the spike. A foolhardy band of thieves is the first to reach it, and a rapacious and malign spirit is unleashed on an unwary world. The forces gather, sides are drawn, and mortal men can only die as the Dark Lords battle for domination.

This is a nice little spin-off from the main Croaker story arc; following Darling, Raven and Silent instead. This book can probably be read as either book 5 or 6, given that it is a spin off, and book 4 left us with a very open end. I chose to read it as book 5, as it is set in the same period of time as book 4, and was published in this order.

There is a lot of fighting and battles between evil and….well…not so evil… in this book and it all builds up very nicely throughout until the final couple of hours, where it will have you hooked like I was. The “grey” characterisation that Glen Cook employs is prominent once again and very nicely done – the only black and white characters seem to be the Dominator and Darling. The prose is excellent, but concise and the entire story is very fast paced as a consequence. A very nice addition to the Black Company books.

Performance – 4.5/5

Jonathan Davis may have been a change of narrator from the first 4 books, but this is fine, as it is not from Croaker’s perspective any more. I actually found him to be equally as good as Marc Vietor, the only negative being that his reading could have been a little quicker.

His voice acting is excellent and distinctive, and he adds to the dark tone of the story very nicely. If you are not a fan of strong American accents though, you may want to listen to the sample before purchasing.

I just downloaded all the Glen Cook novels and am loving them. I'm a huge George RR Martin fan so I like the grittier side of fantasy. Jonathan Davis does a awesome job reading this one, even though Marc V., who read the first three was good, I just like Davis better, wish he read them all (especially the Rachel Butera fiasco).

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

G. Parish

04/09/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"A refreshing side tale"

This is a side tale to the chronicles of the Black Company, however, it really sings and it is possible it has the most satisfying conclusion of all of them. This is one to get.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Joe

06/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"More of a Side-quel... Read before Shadow Games..."

I say side-quel because it takes place at the same time as the events of Shadow Games despite being listed as book 5 in the series. I actually listened to this one first based on some recommendations elsewhere online. After finishing both this and Shadow Games, I can definitely agree that this should probably be read first. Particularly because Shadow Games may leave you very much needing to know what happens next! Although both Shadow Games and The Silver Spike take place shortly after the events of The White Rose, only The Silver Spike is actually concerned with those events. So it just makes sense!

Anyway! Review!

First off, the narrator has changed! Which sucks but is also okay, since Croaker isn't actually in this book at all. Jonathan Davis has a MUCH different feel. My brother and I both kept rotating between loving and hating him. He has a very comforting southern kind of charm that really puts you at ease. But then his performance could be very uneven. A few times I actually recoiled from the harshness of certain characters/lines. Most of the time however, he was very pleasant to listen to. He certainly breathed life into Case, a formerly unimportant and undeveloped side-character--now the new first person perspective into the story (though not really that important to it).

Moving on to story, this book continues with those characters who didn't follow Croaker. Namely; Darling, Raven, Silent, Case, along with a few new characters and a few returning surprises. But even though their story serves as the backdrop, its actually the new characters that are the most interesting this time around. Smeds Stahl in particular was one of the most fun characters i've read about in a while.

Mild Spoilers from here:

I found it very interesting/unusual how Glen Cook decided to tie up so many loose ends so quickly in this book. It almost seems like he was halfway through Shadow Games when he decided he just didn't have a time or place for any of these hanging plots/characters anymore, so he wrote this book just to close any possibility of seeing them down the line. At any rate, it certainly made the book more surprising, as I didn't expect what was supposed to be a spin off to have so much conclusion.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Dan

Newburyport, MA, United States

09/05/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Best of the Series"

I have to preface this by saying Croaker is awesome, and Mark Vietor was born to read the Black Company.

However, now that I have finished the entire series, I look back at this one as my favorite. Johnathan Davis does an excellent job as the narrator, and it is a worthwhile departure from Croaker's voice and tale. I liked the new characters (notably toad killer dog's POV), and the plot was concise and interesting. This did feel like a later insert (which it was chronologically), but it flowed with the overall arc well.

If you only read the Books of the North, and SS, that may be good enough. The Books of the South and especially Glittering Stone slow the plot waaaay down, and although you find out more history of the Company, they just aren't as good as these four ~10 hour books. The plot just flies by.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

BANGOR, ME, United States

28/07/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Narrated by Matthew Mcconaughey, as Batman..."

Would you try another book from Glen Cook and/or Jonathan Davis?

If you've ever wondered what Mcconaughey doing an impression of the Dark Knight sounds like this is the book for you. The narrator does get easier to tolerate as the book goes on, but he is constantly prone awkward pauses in the middle of sentences. It's like he's reading commas in places that shouldn't have them.

That being said, the book is good enough to suffer the narrator.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator could have dropped the cheesy southern accent.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Robert

15/04/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"👍"

Great story, kept me engaged and wasn't too hard to follow while never coming I as over handed.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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